Hey everyone, how's it going? So, I'll be upfront and say that this is a response to the "Worst Reviews" thread that was just recently created (and thankfully closed). We don't need that kind of negativity on this site; however, I'd like to offer up a more constructive approach by bringing up some reviewing trends and approaches that simply aren't very transformative or helpful. Hopefully it serves to aid everyone in maintaining higher reviewing standards going forward.

1.  Beginning a review by ranting about whether the artist in question should be on ProgArchives. If a group or artist are in the Archives, they're in the Archives. Case closed, move on. I can't count how many Radiohead or Metallica reviews I've read that begin with this argument, and it gets pretty ridiculous after a while. It also serves as a really petty and boring first paragraph to have to read. 

2.  Taking the rating descriptions too seriously. I wouldn't stress too much about "how well an album fits in a prog collection" (in fact, I think that format's a bit antiquated and outdated as it is). Point is, I'd say just review an album based on its own merits rather than how it fits in the "prog scheme of things." This one coincides a bit with #1.

3.  One-paragraph blurb reviews. Some of these aren’t bad, but I don’t feel as though they offer up enough detail about the album and its merits. It just seems kinda lazy and the write-ups end up seeming too barebones as a result. I’d suggest two decently-sized paragraphs or more to flesh out arguments in more detail. It is worth noting, however, that this trend isn’t as prominent anymore.

4.  Constantly hammering in a bias. Yeah, we get it. You gave every Steven Wilson album a 1/5 because you simply don’t get why so many people enjoy his work. But that doesn’t mean you should post review after review beating a dead horse when just a review or two should be enough to drive the point home. The constant flood of negativity gets tiring and grating, and I’ve seen it with several artists now (I remember there being a user who used his account specifically to sh*t on Ulver’s entire discography). 

As always, try not to take my post as gospel. I still have some work to do with my writing as well; it’s just that I’d also like to see the overall standards of reviewing improve. Hope everyone’s having a great day, and feel free to message me if you want to talk.